South Ossetia South Ossetia, ka, სამხრეთი ოსეთი, ( , ), officially the Republic of South Ossetia – the State of Alania, is a partially recognised landlocked state in the South Caucasus. It has an officially stated populat ...

does not issue

visas Visa most commonly refers to: *Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company ** Visa Debit card issued by the above company ** Visa Electron, a debit card ** Visa Plus, an interbank network *Travel visa, a document that allows ...

. However, visitors are required to receive approval from the South Ossetian government in advance of their visit unless they are citizens of an exempt country. Because South Ossetia is only accessible through

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

, visitors are also required to hold a valid Russian visa that permits them to return to Russia unless they are Russian citizens or citizens of countries that are exempt from Russian visa requirements.

Entry requirements

South Ossetia may only be entered through

. All visitors, except for citizens of exempt countries, must be invited by a party in South Ossetia (a private citizen or a South Ossetian organization, such as a government department or business) prior to their arrival. Inviting parties must submit their invitation letters to the Immigration Control Office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which takes up to 30 calendar days to process invitations. Tourists must obtain an invitation from the Committee on Youth Policy, Sports, and Tourism. In addition to an invitation, journalists must receive approval from the State Committee on Information and Press prior to arrival. All visitors must register with the Immigration Control Office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs within three days after their arrival.“Entry procedures for foreign citizens arriving to the Republic of South Ossetia”
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Prior approval exemption

All members of the Community for Democracy and Rights of Nations have agreed to abolish mutual visa requirements for their citizens. A mutual free-travel agreement between

and Nauru was signed on February 3, 2018, that would allow citizens of Nauru to travel to South Ossetia without prior approval and for citizens of South Ossetia to travel to Nauru without a visa, both for up to 90 days within any 180 day period. However, the agreement has yet to be ratified.

Visitors statistics

Approximately 95% of the population of South Ossetia has (in addition to citizenship of the Republic of South Ossetia — State of Alania), citizenship of the Russian Federation, and many of them leave the territory of South Ossetia and enter it with Russian passports, and almost half of them permanently reside in Russia. During the year, most of them leave South Ossetia for Russia many times for various purposes and enter back. Even from Russian citizens by birth, South Ossetia is mostly visited by Russian citizens living mainly in

Republic of North Ossetia–Alania A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

(part of the Russian Federation). From the rest of the Russian Federation, an extremely small number of citizens of the Russian Federation visit South Ossetia. Citizens of the Russian Federationfedstat.ru
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References

{{SouthOssetia-stub

Foreign relations of South Ossetia

Entry requirements

Prior approval exemption

Visitors statistics

See also

References